The Niagara News is the community newspaper of Niagara College located in Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is created and produced by the students of the Niagara College Journalism program.

Sabres best Leafs in St. Catharines tilt

It took 65 minutes and a four-round shootout for the Buffalo Sabres to put away the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score 1-0 at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines.

The stands were packed to capacity in the nearly 5,000-seat arena during the only NHL stop the building will see in 2016. The majority of the fans were sporting Leafs gear and were less than impressed with the outcome of such a tight game.

Matt Moulson notched the shootout winner in the fourth round for the Sabres on a wrist shot that beat goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo upstairs.

Anders Nilsson made 23 saves for the Sabres and got the shutout win. He made all four saves in the shootout as well to shut down the Maple Leafs shooters once and for all.

Though the game finished 1-0, the physical play in the game more than made up for the lull in offense. Scrums ensued frequently after whistles, keeping the crowd heavily engaged.

Three-on-three overtime continued to shake up the intensity of the game. The teams went back and forth as if playing in a late-season game, which really put a jolt in the fans. Three-on-three overtime might be here to stay.

Just moments before Moulson’s winner, defenceman Connor Carrick came into the zone and fired a shot off the post. The Leafs would not get another chance to put away the shootout as Nilsson looked too big and too confident to be beat.

A win for Buffalo improves their preseason record to 2-1-0. They will take on the Maple Leafs in the back end of a home-and-home Sept. 30 at the KeyBank Center, formerly the First Niagara Center, in Buffalo. Coverage starts at 7 p.m. EST.

With the loss, the Leafs fall to 0-1-1 in the preseason, albeit Auston Matthews has yet to bear the blue-and-white in a preseason game.

5 Things to Note

Anders Nilsson had an outstanding 23 save shutout and really was the player of the game. He made great saves in tight and looked exactly like what the Islanders expected when they drafted him in 2009. He is sure to have a role on this Sabres’ squad come October, even if it means shared time with Robin Lehner.

Both Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner did not dress for the Leafs. The 2014 and 2015 first-round picks for the Leafs should add some offense to what looked like a patchy lineup. The Leafs are most excited for Matthews. He was not just the first round, he was first overall. In the 2014-2015 season, Matthews tore up the United States Hockey League (USHL) scoring 48 points in just 24 games played. Last season, for the ZSC Lions, Matthews scored 1.27 PPG (46 points in 36 games) and most recently he scored three points in three games at the World Cup of Hockey. Expect both him and Marner to be inserted into the lineup on Friday in the rematch game.

Jack Eichel did not dress either for the Sabres for this one. Expect him to be in the lineup Sept. 30 as well. Eichel had a pretty decent first year as the new face of the Buffalo Sabres. He has 81 games and 56 points under his belt already, and, at 19, he has yet to hit his prime. It will be impressive to watch this young man play in years to come. Look out for happy days in Buffalo.

Speaking of happy days in Buffalo, the lineup, even though not complete, looked very potent. The trio of Foligno-Larsson-Okposo looked dangerous all night. Trade Eichel for Larsson and that line becomes a triple threat of speed, hands and grit that could win the Sabres some games early in the season. Also, the play of Matt Moulson continues to improve as he ages; he roofed the game-winner in the shootout and that will not be his last game-winner of the season, Sabres fans.

The Leafs got another look at goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo on Thursday night. He will likely be cut from the team during the next wave. He came along well during training camp and earned a technical shutout in the game against the Sabres, but the competition ahead of him is tight and Garret Sparks proved to be the better netminder in the game.